Christmas 2018

We had a wonderful trip back to the states and a great Christmas surrounded by family and friends. We also made it to Michael's cousin's wedding in Cincinnati, and walked to the Kentucky state line (which was about a 15 minute walk from where we were staying). So, Penelope made it to four US states (VA, MD, OH, and KY) and the District of Columbia in one trip. She really took to a lot of our family and friends, and just beamed the whole time (when she wasn't teething). She now has four teeth, by the way. She is now an expert crawler, and has graduated to working on steps (always with a spotter, of course), and standing up with the help of people or furniture. She loves to wave all the time at everyone, and now loves clapping (a milestone she seemed to hit a little late). She learned to say, "Lala", the nickname for one of her grandmas, and is working on the other extended family nicknames. 

As I type, Mike and Penelope are taking a long, jet-lagged afternoon nap. At some point I will crash, probably when they are just waking up.